Archive - 2009

January 13th

NORTH LIBERTY– The North Liberty Knights baseball team is sponsoring a dance for fourth through sixth graders on Fri., Jan. 16, from 6-9 p.m. at the North Liberty Community Recreation Center. Admission is $5. Concessions will be available. Music by a live DJ. All kids from fourth through sixth grade are welcome to attend.

NORTH LIBERTY– AlphaGraphics in North Liberty will celebrate the grand opening of their new business at 720 Pacha Parkway #1 with an open house reception on Jan. 15, 2009 from 2 – 7 p.m. The event will include refreshments, door prizes, and two grand prize drawings for an iPod Classic and a $500.00 direct mail marketing campaign. A ribbon cutting ceremony will be held at 3 p.m.

One of the fun parts of covering the Iowa Hawkeyes is visiting the University of Iowa’s Children’s Hospital with the women’s basketball team.
Iowa head coach Lisa Bluder does a great job of getting her team involved in the community.
Last summer they spent at least one day helping sandbag when the Flood of 2008 hit and destroyed so much property on campus, in Iowa City and Coralville.
The sandbags were heavy and it was pretty messy work, but the players and the coaches pitched in and enjoyed helping out.

Last Thursday was another challenging night for Hawkeye fans. Both the men’s and women’s basketball teams played at the same time.
The men were at home playing Minnesota while the women were on the road playing Purdue.
The men’s game was on ESPN2, the Women’s on the Big Ten Network and the BCS championship, Florida-Oklahoma, was on Fox.
I didn’t want to watch both Iowa games at the same time so I watched the men live and taped the women’s game.
They both lost so that was not a fun night, plus I was rooting for Bob Stoops and Oklahoma and they lost.
The women split.

Gasoline has been in the news again this week.
First experts are warning that the price will shoot up again because it’s so low now that companies will stop investing in exploration and development. When it comes to prices, it seems with the oil industry what goes down goes up; when it comes to profit what goes up goes up farther.

Now that new year has officially arrived, it means that many people’s resolutions are under way, and of course, a lot of these include fitness and weight loss goals. I have heard friends, patients and family members speak of their earnest and well-intended notions of starting (or resuming) a fitness program—as well as their concerns about inevitably not following through with it. Well, there is some good news. Traditional exercise may not be the only way to improve your health.

JOHNSON COUNTY– Each year on Memorial Day, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers at Coralville Lake and Johnson County Veterans organizations honor local military veterans who have served their country. The public is invited to nominate individuals who meet the following criteria in order that they may be recognized for outstanding service in the U.S. Armed Services. This year’s dedication will be held on Monday, May 25, 2009.
Criteria for nominating a veteran are:

Lois A. Rider, 71, of Iowa City, died at her home surrounded by her family Sunday, Jan. 4, 2009.
Funeral services were held Thursday, Jan. 9 at Gay & Ciha Funeral and Cremation Service in Iowa City, with burial at Memory Gardens Cemetery. Visitation was Thursday, before services at the funeral home. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations can be made to Iowa City Hospice in her memory. Online condolences may be sent for her family through the web at www.gayandciha.com.

Ronald Lathrop, 66, of Lone Tree, died Monday, Jan. 5, 2009 at the University of Iowa Hospital. Per Ronald’s wishes there will be no visitation or funeral services. In lieu of flowers, a memorial fund has been established at the funeral home in memory of Ronald. Sympathy notes may be left for the Lathrop family at www.lewisfuneralhomes.com. The Sorden-Lewis Home for Funeral and Cremation Services of Lone Tree is handling the arrangements for Ron and his family.

Augustine Wyatt “Gus” Koch, five-week old son of Gregory and Heather (Kidwell) Koch of rural Riverside died Thursday, January 8, 2009, at their home from complications since his birth. Those who remain to mourn his passing and celebrate his birth into eternal life include his parents, Greg and Heather; grandparents Kevin and Carol Kidwell of Solon, Mary Koch of Potosi, Mo., and Gary Koch of St.